Original Post Date: Dec 9, 2010
KREATOR+Exodus+Death Angel+Suicidal Angels, Stockholm 8/12-2010

Well, the tour is also known as Thrashfest 2010, and no joke.

Suicidal Angels
Greek Thrash starts the night, and they just go full pace ahead from the beginning! Excellent fast Thrash that just keeps going. A bit short set I think, but what can you do, considering the other bands on the bill?
There were some sound troubles, with the vocals being way too low - but then again it was a theme for all bands, so it might just be where I stood up front I guess.
Nevertheless they delivered an awesome set, and I'm really happy. :]

Setlist (I think):
Reborn In Violence
Bleeding Holocaust
Dead Again
Violent Abuse
Beggar of scorn
...Lies
Final Dawn
Apokathilosis

Death Angel
I'm not a big fan of these Bay Area Thrashers, but damn they know how to put up a show! The intensity really surprised me, and they had me banging despite not planning too!
They have a really great frontman in Mark Osegueda, all though I felt his praise speeches to the crowd were a bit too generic too feel very genuine. :P
And I think one of the guitar-players are posing a bit too much, I mean when you're trying to do something fancy while playing and it affects your playing negatively you're definitely overdoing it! But other than that it was actually a surprisingly good gig! You can tell these guys have been around for a while!

Setlist:
I Chose the Sky
Evil Priest
Buried Alive
Mistress of Pain
Claws In So Deep
Seemingly Endless Time
Truce
River of Rapture
The Ultra-Violence / Thrown to the Wolves

Exodus
Not too excited to see Exodus again to be honest, I mean they're good and all but they lack something for me. Despite that I was still on the frontline, and I got caught up in the atmosphere of the crowd anyway - as it seemed to most people this was the headliner! Really good support, and a really solid gig. Not much to say other than that, except that I do agree with Rob Dukes - who cares if it's Wednesday or Thursday or whatever day it is? It's Thrashfest!

Setlist:
The Ballad of Leonard and Charles
Beyond the Pale
Children of a Worthless God
A Lesson In Violence
Blacklist
Bonded By Blood
War Is My Shepherd
The Toxic Waltz
Strike Of The Beast
Good Riddance

Kreator
Ah and then on to the German thrashers! I was actually really excited about seeing them again, because I read some setlists from earlier gigs and saw that they had been playing When the Sun Burns Red, which happens to be one of my absolute favourite songs by Kreator - and I've never gotten the chance to see it live before!
...and then of course that's the only song from the setlist I saw that they DIDN'T play. Bah. So I'm a bit bummed by that.
So instead of being the most awesome Kreator-gig I've been to it just became another Kreator-gig. That's not a bad thing though, because a normal Kreator-gig is still kickass!
The gig actually started a bit surprisingly with a Johnny Cash song in the speakers and a short film of someone arriving to the venue and walking around, showing the backstage area and the initial soundcheck and stuff - which then faded out into a live-picture of the crowd. They really like to bring their video equipment lately I've noticed! And I don't mind, they do add a special touch to their all ready good show!
And for Kreator themselves they did feel a bit tired at first, but it may just be that they started off with relatively slow songs - both the songs and the guys did pick up on intensity as the show went on though, so no worries there.
So despite me standing in the middle of a smoke machine (about halfway through the set they realized that they had forgot to put a fan behind the smoke machine so most of the smoke went out on the crowd instead of the band...) and the half bad sound on the vocals they managed to deliver a nice show - and I'm happy with how they did. Had I not read any setlists beforehand I'd probably not had any complaints at all so...!
And Mille also left us some good news that next year they'll record a new album, that despite being around for 25 years there's no stopping now. I'm actually really glad that they put up this line-up for this tour instead of the usually really weird line-ups Kreator are touring with... this is a worthy tour!

Setlist:
The Patriarch
Violent Revolution
Hordes Of Chaos
Phobia
Terrible Certainty
Betrayer
Voices Of The Dead
Enemy Of God
Destroy What Destroys You
Endless Pain
People Of The Lie
Pleasure To Kill
Coma Of Souls

The Pestilence
Flag Of Hate
Tormentor


Original Post Date: Dec 5, 2010
Katatonia + October Tide, Stockholm 4/12-2010

October Tide
Death/Doom, Jonas old band actually. They were the main reason I went for this gig - as I've seen Katatonia a couple of times before and they're a bit so-so - you never know if they'll deliver or not!
So I was curious to see what October Tide would bring, and I actually really liked their set. I especially liked how they built it all up, going from the really slow songs and then gradually speeding it up for each song - ending the set with a "really fast song" (well, not really - but compared to the others it was!).
There were some technical problems with the drums and a few mess-ups, but overall I liked their gig.

Katatonia
Like I mentioned earlier I've seen these guys a couple of times before (and funnily enough I've seen Mikael Åkerfeldt every time as well - this time no exception, he even brought the wife and Fredrik Åkesson :P ) and you never really know if they'll be good or not. Jonas voice is a bit hit or miss, and they're not really the tightest band around... This time Jonas did fine however, but the rest of the guys did mess up for a couple of songs... So it was a bit fifty-fifty!
I can't really complain though, it was definitely worth it so.
It seemed Jonas was quite happy to be playing home in Stockholm for once actually, and a bit surprised at how many people had showed up. I guess that loosened them up a little bit compared to last time I saw them - as they were more active on stage than I remember seeing them before. So that's good!

Setlist:

Day and Then the Shade
Liberation
My Twin
Onward Into Battle
The Longest Year
Soil's Song
Omerta
Teargas
Saw You Drown
Idle Blood
Ghost of the Sun
Evidence
Criminals
July

Encore:
For My Demons
Forsaker
Leaders


Original Post Date: Nov 23, 2010
Frantic Amber, Stockholm 22/11-2010

There were a bunch of other bands playing as well, but they were really not worth mentioning beyond this sentence...

Frantic Amber
Well, I know these girls, and they play some pretty damn heavy Death Metal! It was the second time I saw them, the last time was about 6 months ago when they played their first gig ever. And I'm glad to say that they have evolved quite a lot since then! By now they're really tight on stage and work really well together. They have a lot of presence actually. Elizabeth told me before the gig that she was really nervous, but I don't know why really. Because she just walks out on stage like she owns the place (which is a great thing!). The whole band is actually really active on stage, so it's quite enjoyable to watch it all. They've gotten quite far in these few months!
Unfortunately their drummer could not be there, but they had a stand-in guy who did a good job on what he had to work with (the drum set at the place wasn't very impressive really). And the rest of the band played really well also. Worth mentioning is that I've never seen someone growl and headbang at the same time before... But apparently it's possible! :P
All in all a nice show, and I'm looking forward to debut album and more shows! Meanwhile check them out at;

http://www.myspace.com/franticamber


Original Post Date: Nov 5, 2010
INSISION + CORPUS MORTALE + VOMITOUS, Stockholm 4/11 - 2010

ABYSMAL TORMENT were supposed to play at this gig as well, but unfortunatly they had to cancel! I guess it was hard coming all the way from Malta!

VOMITOUS
First band of the night is this Grindcore band. I'm no big fan of Grind really. It was OK, but nothing special. The sound was kind of bad as well, but then again it's Grind so maybe that's how they want it? Oh well, all right for a support band anyway.

CORPUS MORTALE
A Danish Death Metal band who came over to do their first show in Sweden. Unfortunately they were lacking their second guitarist as he is on rehab, but I don't think their sound suffered that much from it because the guitar player they had there is really competent indeed! And with good use of a pedal he had it under control.
They put up a really nice show, and I really liked their sound (the sound overall was better by now by the way). The only thing I can complain about was perhaps that the vocalist did let it become very silent between songs - letting it drag out just a little bit too long (you know how it is when the crowd isn't super pumped or doesn't really know the band and all that...). But it's all right, the music was ace!

http://www.myspace.com/corpusmortale

INSISION
INSISION were also lacking one guitar player for some reason actually! I don't really know why, but it didn't affect their sound too much either. It's still like getting hit in your face and then the hits just keep coming. Moshpit going from the first song all ready, and it kept going for the rest of the gig! It must've been a wild one, because I managed to grab a setlist after the show and it's splattered with blood! I didn't notice it as that wild though, I was busy standing up front headbanging...
Maybe it's because Carl Birath is really good at the in between songs stuff that I noticed Corpus Mortale were a bit lacking at that... Carl is awesome anyhow, as always. And I still laugh at him referring to one of those YouTube-videos where someone has written what they think the lyrics sounds like when he introduces My Fever... ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ytF1BtKYY this video in case you wonder)
Superb gig! As expected! Only thing I can complain about was it not lasting as long as I'd liked... And today I can't move my neck. But it was worth it.

Setlist:
Before My Altar
Imminent Vision
New Song from the upcomming album (Slow and cozy INSISION-style, Carl thinks we should grab each others hands)
My Fever (Bring out the ice!)
SadoGod
Doubt Denied
We Did Not Come To Heal
A Ravenous Discharge
The Magnet Soul
World Impaled

http://www.myspace.com/insision


Original Post Date: Nov 4, 2010
CRUCIFYRE + FACEBREAKER + MORBUS CHRON, 4/11-2010 - Stockholm

MORBUS CHRON
Few bands manage to sound oldschool despite being quite new... Morbus Chron does though. So if you're a fan of oldschool Death Metal check these guys out! Not only do they have an oldschool sound but they also have different stuff going on in each song. Makes it quite interesting! And a really cool groove in most songs. They didn't put up much of a show, but that's all right because the energy of the music lifted them anyway. Also cool to finish the set with a Death cover (Beyond the Unholy Grave). Really nice band!

http://www.myspace.com/morbuschronband

FACEBREAKER
Death Metal that's so fucking heavy it feels like being run over by a truck every time. Their songs are just made for headbanging. So that's what I did. Headbanging their entire set, like everyone else up front. Not many people at the venue, but I think we got some good headbanging going at least.
And for the band, a really good and charismatic frontman (sounds odd saying that about a Death Metal band), that's good at making the crowd wake up urging people up and gets pretty close with the crowd.
Pure power! Just awesome.

http://www.myspace.com/facebreaker_mail

CRUCIFYRE
A new band that's a bit of an all-star band playing oldschool Death Metal with a touch of Black. They just realeased their first CD, but they're all veterans so they certainly know how to put up a good Death Metal show. Full pace ahead at all time, neckbreaking speed!
During the song 'Kiss the Goat' the crowd went kind of crazy! First released song so I guess people recognize that one best and all that. Overall I felt the support were better for Facebreaker though - but not undeserved!
Good show no doubt, and getting to hear some of those songs live I'll definitely will get the album eventually!

http://www.myspace.com/crucifyre

Broken neck today... but in a few hours I'm off to see INSISION  - so no time for rest!


Original Post Date: Nov 1, 2010
Watain+Deströyer666+Repugnant+Ghost, Stockholm - 31/10-2010

First off, happy Samhain!

Ghost
I was a bit late so I missed half of the first song. I was curious about this band however, as I've heard much good about them.
Their scene clothes is the first thing that strikes me. Really cool actually! The singer is an occult bishop and the rest of the band is acolytes. Must be tricky to play in those outfits, but it looked really nice!
Their sound is a Doom alá Candlemass I'd say. All tough I like these guys more. Their sound is a bit more fresh I think. All in all a nice first show.

Setlist:
Con Clavio Con Dio
Elizabeth
Death Knell
Prime Mover
Ritual

Deströyer666
The main reason I went to this gig! Death/Thrashers from Down Under, fucking ace! Surprisingly they played on the second spot of the night. I'd expect them to play right before Watain. No worries though, they still had a one hour set so the order might be odd but it's clear they're co-headlining the night.
For their show... tight as hell. Full pace ahead at all times and just keep it coming. This is the kind of energy I love with Death Metal live and this is what makes people go wild. Like the last song before the encore... Everyone in front of me (I was at the 6:th row or so) - everyone! - started headbanging like crazy. The crowd in front of me was just hair everywhere. That was an awesome sight!
I'm really happy I got the chance to see these guys, seeing as they come from Australia they're not up here very often so this was a Halloween-treat for sure!

Repugnant
Some Swedish Death Metal who certainly doesn't try to hide their influences! :P
While doing the sound check there was Morbid Angel playing, the singer wore a Morbid Angel-shirt, and yeah they sound like Morbid Angel as well! All though a bit more punkier version.
They were all right though, I just found it hard to take them serious when the singer looked like he took this Halloween-thing seriously. :P

The setlist included (there were like 3 more songs);
From Beyond the Grave
Voices From The Dark
Morbid Ways
Spawn of Pure Malevolence

Watain
First of all there was no smell of animal carcasses in the air when entering the arena. That's odd, considering it's Watain we're talking about! But I guess the venue got the better of them, because there was no blood on the stage either... they did manage to fit in 4 pig heads in the stage props though, and they mixed nicely with all the fire on stage. As it was a pretty small venue (800 people or so) they could obviously not have the cool pyros that I've seen them with before... but they did indeed compensate for it with the amount of fire on stage anyway!
It's perhaps odd to spend such a large paragraph of a concert review on the stage decorations... but they're a large part of seeing Watain live. They add so much to the atmosphere really, so it's important! That's why it's a bit disappointing when there's no blood or dead animals - but I blame the arena for that judging from what I've heard from the rest of the tour!
Nevertheless Watain does their thing really well, no doubt about it. They suck you into the atmosphere and it's almost more like a seance than a concert and Erik is guiding the crowd to Hell... Oddly enough I've never seen Watain in Sweden before, so it was a bit odd hearing Swedish, but it worked quite well.
A nice surprise was Selim Lemouchi from the band The Devil's Blood coming in from Holland to play the lead guitars on the last epic song (15 minutes of Waters of Ain).
Unfortunately there was no encore because of that song (it really would be weird to come out on stage after that song, it would kind of ruin it), so I did miss the Bathory cover that's been in their set for the rest of the tour. That's actually the only real complaint I have on the gig, it was only 1 hour and 15 minutes. All thought that is all right, because Watain has a thing for making pretty long and drawn out songs lately (I'm not a huge fan of their new album) - that do work better live with the fire and stage show but can feel a bit too long.
All in all a nice gig, a few things that could've been better - but I might just say that because I've seen Watain so many times...

The setlist (I might've forgot one or two songs):
Malfeitor
Devil's Blood
Satan's Hunger
Reaping Death
Sworn to the Dark
Wolves Curse
Legions of the Black Light
Stellarwhore
Waters of Ain


Original Post Date: Sep 12, 2010
MARDUK+Ragnarok+Valkyrja, Stockholm 11/9-2010

Valkyrja
Well, this was actually the main reason why I went to this gig. These young guys play some excellent atmospheric Black Metal alá Watain but with a lot better attitude! :P
And well, it's the second time I see them and I think they've improved some on their stage presence a bit since last time! Other than that it was much the same, still extremely tight and great atmosphere in the songs as on album. Really nice stuff!
Though crowd though, but they got a large part of the people who was there to get into it at least. I think these guys will go pretty far, or at least I hope so. Loads of potential here!

Ragnarok
And then some Norwegian Black as well! I must say these guys are pretty fun to watch. Not because they do something that special on stage, but they're quite an odd set of characters...
The music is pretty raw Black Metal anyhow, pretty good stuff! Personally I'd preferred if they'd switched spots with Valkyrja... but still nice second band!

Marduk
Ah and then Marduk! It's the fourth time I see them I think, and I've not been disappointed once. Okay, to be fair the first time I had no expectations either... but the other three times they've really upheld their high standard and tonight was no exception. They just get out on stage and give it all they got every time and it's just great. It's impressive how only one guitar can sound that much...
Mortiis is also a really good frontman actually, but still being very "Black Metal". But he knows what to say to keep the crowd going. And the crowd was actually REALLY into it this night. Everyone was chanting 'Marduk' in between the songs in the beginning of the set all ready!
And the set list was a nice mix of new and old as you'd expect. I didn't take notes, but it included Panzer Division Marduk, Christ-raping Black Metal, The Black..., Wolves, Bleached Bones, World Funeral, Steel Inferno, Throne of Rats, etc...

Also they had a guest vocalist for one song but I didn't hear what Mortiis said when he introduced him and I couldn't see him very clearly... only saw that he had short hair. Maybe someone of the guests from Rom 5:12 or something?

Oh well, great gig anyhow. As always!